This series of maneuvers left everyone present enlightened.
It turned out that the peculiar habit of spinning opponents dizzy wasnât the doing of the Treasure-Seeking Demon at all, it was its Beast Tamer!
Qiao Sang was completely unaware that she had been labeled as someone who took pleasure in spinning opponents dizzy.
The match ended in an unsurprising victory.
Although the Long-Tailed Snake was also a mid-level pet beast and had a considerable size, Yabaoâs mastery of psychic power was leagues ahead. Coupled with an energy level far surpassing others in his tier, the Long-Tailed Snake simply couldnât break free from the psychic control.
After the match, Qiao Sang took Yabao back to the contestantsâ seating area at Shengshui High School to await the arrival of the reporters.
Given that the National Campus Beast Mastering Leagueâs provincial preliminaries involved numerous simultaneous matches, and preliminaries generally didnât attract much attention, each venue only had at most one reporter and a cameraman.
When the broadcast announced that all matches in Group A2 had concluded, the venueâs sole reporter dashed toward Shengshui Highâs contestant area, with a cameraman lugging a camera hot on his heels.
I knew theyâd come to interview meâŠ
Qiao Sang patted Yabaoâs fur and gave him a look.
âYap...â
Yabao followed her gaze and saw two humans approaching, one with a microphone, the other carrying a camera.
Having been interviewed before, Yabao immediately understood his Beast Tamerâs intent.
Without a word, he tilted his head back at a 45-degree angle, aiming to look dashing when he appeared on camera.
Back during the Bai Xin Competition, Qiao Sang had been a gutsy rookie whose first contracted beast was a fire-type, with some raw talent in battles. Reporters back then maintained a professional distance during interviews.
Now, though, this reporter practically shoved the microphone into her face.
Qiao Sang silently took a step back to put some space between her and the microphone.
Just as she prepared to answer questions about the Flame Hound's psychic abilities, the reporter bombarded her with another set of questions:
âWhy do you enjoy spinning your opponents dizzy so much? Does it hold a special meaning for you, or do you simply derive some kind of enjoyment from it?â
Qiao Sang: ???
---
An hour after the match, a thread titled
Shengshuiâs Super Seeded Player Qiao Sang Has a Habit of Spinning Opponents Dizzy
exploded on the forums.
Qiao Sang sat on the school bus back to Shengshui, silently scrolling through the thread.
âThree-dimensional shadow control like this is insane! Looks like Zhejiang Province is going to make a name for itself this year!â
âThat skillâs incredible, but the way the Treasure-Seeking Demon spins opponents around reminds me of a noodle chef. I donât get it, but Iâm amazed!â
âItâs not the Treasure-Seeking Demonâs fault, itâs Qiao Sangâs doing.â
âWhy do these geniuses always have quirks? There was Ding Yanjing with his tickling tactics, and now Qiao Sang with her dizzying spins.â
âDing Yanjingâs tactics were borderline torture. Qiao Sangâs just using it as part of her combat style. Flame Houndâs attacks were normal before the Treasure-Seeking Demon showed up.â
âSpeaking of Flame Hound, its fire and psychic abilities are so strong! Even when it just stares down an opponent to make them spin, you can feel its dominance!â
âSpeaking of Flame Hound⊠anyone up for a heist?â
The replies went on and on. After reading for a while, Qiao Sang put her phone away and gazed quietly out the window.
No big deal.
In the end, that reporter still asked about Flame Hound's psychic abilities. Once the interview aired, the gossip wouldnât matter.
Sitting beside her, Xu Yixuan typed intently on her phone, a serious expression on her face:
â
How to rapidly improve a pet beastâs resistance to dizziness.
â
She never expected Qiao Sang to have such a bizarre quirk! Based on their respective strengths, both of them would almost certainly advance to the later stages of the provincial competition.
The odds of facing each other were high. Losing was one thing, but losing while spinning? Absolutely unacceptable!
Xu Yixuan wasnât the only one thinking this way.
That evening, the Clear Breeze Potion sold out across Zhejiang Province, and Qiao Sang single-handedly boosted the sales of anti-dizziness remedies statewide.
Of course, thatâs a story for another time.
---
The bus pulled into Shengshui High just as the evening light began to fade.
As Qiao Sang got off the bus, someone called her name.
From the voice alone, Qiao Sang knew who it was.
âMom? Why are you here?â She turned her head and, sure enough, saw her mother standing there.
âThe store isnât too busy, so I thought Iâd come pick you up since youâre back.â Ye Xiangting walked over with a smile.
âHowâd the match go today?â
Qiao Sang grinned. âI got all 18 points, of course.â
Over the past week, she had been updating her mother daily after each match. Naturally, Ye Xiangting understood what 18 points meant.
Hearing this, Ye Xiangtingâs smile widened.
âYou little rascal! Who wouldâve thought youâd be so talented in battles? Competing against seniors for a whole week without losing a match, who do you take after?â
âYou, of course!â Qiao Sang teased.
âIf youâd chosen to be a professional Beast Tamer, you mightâve been a regional star by now.â
Ye Xiangting couldnât hold back her laughter.
âHahaha, thatâs possible! Letâs go home! Iâll make something delicious tonight.â
The warm glow of dusk faded as their voices trailed off into the distance.
âI want sweet and sour ribs!â
âSure, Iâll make them!â
âAnd cola chicken wings!â
âDone!â
âOh, and--â
âHold on! I want to ask, do you have the rankings for this weekâs matches?â
âYeah, why?â
âSend them to me later. Iâll post them on my Moments.â
â...â
---
Dinner was at the apartment in Tianjing Garden.
Since they had to gather early at school the next day, staying there was more convenient.
After finishing dinner and tidying up, Ye Xiangting headed home.
Qiao Sang sat on the sofa, phone in hand, looking at the announcement in the group chat about the next stage of the competition.
âNovember 4th, Huicheng Beast Taming High School.â
November 4th, that was the day after tomorrow.
Where was Huicheng Beast Taming High School again?
As Qiao Sang pondered, a jet of water thinner than her pinky sprayed her face.
She wiped her face helplessly and looked at Lubao, whose nostrils were bubbling with water in frustration.
âStill mad? I told you, youâre our secret weapon. You canât come out too soon.â
âLu lu!â
Lubao wore an
I donât believe you
expression, though the water bubbles shrank slightly.
Seeing this, Qiao Sang grinned. Just as she was about to say more, a thought struck her. She turned to Yabao, who was watching the competition channel.
âHowâs your ear training coming along? Block the sound for me.â
âYap!â
Yabaoâs attention immediately shifted. He folded his ears down and blinked expectantly, waiting for praise.
Qiao Sang smiled like a proud mother but quickly turned to Lubao before Yabaoâs ears popped back up.
âI didnât let you compete because those opponents were too weak. Yabao and Little Treasure could handle them. The tougher opponents are later on, thatâs when Iâll need you.â
âLu lu.â
Lubaoâs tail swished lightly as the water bubbles vanished entirely.
Qiao Sang exhaled in relief.
Finally pacified.
âXun?â
Little Treasure, watching the whole scene, tilted his head in confusion.
Why didnât our Beast Tamer think to ask me to block my ears?